(19)
(11) EP 1 160 838 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
01.12.2004 Bulletin 2004/49

(43) Date of publication A2:
05.12.2001 Bulletin 2001/49

(21) Application number: 01113207.3

(22) Date of filing: 30.05.2001
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7: H01L 21/00, C23C 16/30, C23C 16/452, C30B 33/00, C23C 16/40
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR
Designated Extension States:
AL LT LV MK RO SI

(30) Priority: 31.05.2000 JP 2000162769
31.05.2000 JP 2000163002

(71) Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
Tokyo-to (JP)

(72) Inventors:
  • Asano, Takanobu, Tokyo Electron Tohoku Limited
    Tsukui-gun, Kanagawa-ken (JP)
  • Ishii, Katsutoshi, Tokyo Electron Tohoku Limited
    Tsukui-gun, Kanagawa-ken (JP)
  • Yamamoto, Hiroyuki, Tokyo Electron Tohoku Limited
    Tsukui-gun, Kanagawa-ken (JP)
  • Hoshi, George, Tokyo Electron Tohoku Limited
    Tsukui-gun, Kanagawa-ken (JP)
  • Miura, Kazutoshi, Tokyo Electron Tohoku Limited
    Tsukui-gun, Kanagawa-ken (JP)

(74) Representative: Liesegang, Roland, Dr.-Ing. 
FORRESTER & BOEHMERT Pettenkoferstrasse 20-22
80336 München
80336 München (DE)

   


(54) Heat treatment system and method


(57) When an oxidation process for semiconductor wafers is carried out by a batch type furnace, the uniformity of the thickness of a film is intended to be improved so as to be capable of carrying out a low temperature process. In a system for feeding a mixed gas of hydrogen gas and water vapor into a reaction vessel to carry out a so-called wet oxidation, a ventilation resistance material is provided in an outside passage of a double-pipe passage for heating gas in an external combustion system, and a mixed gas of hydrogen gas and hydrogen chloride gas is passed through the ventilation resistance material to be heated to a process temperature or higher by means of the heater of the combustion system to previously produce a very small amount of water vapor to carry out a dry oxidation. When dinitrogen oxide gas is used for producing a nitrogen containing silicon oxide film, dinitrogen oxide gas is passed through the outside passage to be previously activated.






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